Author Archives for Jacqueline Raposo

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About Jacqueline Raposo

I'm an interviewer, food writer, and podcast producer. Chronically ill + feisty.

A Tribute to 4 Victims of 9/11 from Wilton, CT

My hometown of Wilton, CT

I grew up in the quaint New England town of Wilton, CT, a  45-minute drive from Manhattan. This conservative, sleepy town is known for its incredible school system, competitive sports and respectful community: kids are enrolled in Boy and Girl Scouts, families go to church on Sunday and then to the local diners, kids get bored on weekends and the man-made swimming hole is packed next to the busy soccer fields in the summer.

It is also a town on the major commuter rail into NYC, and many parents make the daily commute.  Which is how our dreamy little town lost four of its members on September 11th.

On that day in 2001 I was a hundred miles further north at the University of Connecticut.  Not being able to donate blood due to an illness but wanting to do something to help, my roommates and I volunteered at the Red Cross, primarily organizing names of those who had called in to report loved ones of theirs that were missing.

Several names came into my possession from my hometown.  It was only several weeks later, at a memorial in the football stadium of my youth, packed with so many familiar faces, that I found out who we had lost.

I still go home weekly to visit my parents and help work the family business.  More so now than in my youth do I appreciate the beauty of our town, especially in contrast to my life in the city.  People are a bit friendlier the air is much clearer, you can see thousands of stars at night, and the picturesque town square still shows children in uniforms between school and games, mothers marketing frantically, families out to eat at the all-locally-run restaurants.  It’s a good town.

So for my final tribute this week to Project 2,996, I’d like to offer a tribute to the four men who we lost on September 11th, 2001:  Edward T. Fergus Jr., Peter Christian Fry, John Iskyan and Edward P. York.

Edward T. Fergus Jr.

Edward T. Fergus Jr

It only seems appropriate that the photo honoring Edward Fergus shows him by the water – he would spend Saturday mornings helping to fix his parents’ boat and then the afternoons on Long Island Sound, fishing with his two children, Tom and Shannon.

Edward worked at Cantor Fitzgerald, the firm who lost one third of their international work force when 658 of their employees perished, having worked on the 101st-105th floors of One World Trade Center, the floors above which the first plane made contact.

His energy on the floor translated well into his family social life, and he was known for rousing his siblings and their children to Connecticut for the annual Oyster Festival in South Norwalk, or to have picnics on their boat, or to go skiing in Vermont in the winter.  He also dedicated himself to helping others through volunteer work, and attended church weekly.

He was survived by his wife, Linda, their children Tom and Shannon, who were 10 and 11 years old at the time of his passing, and a score of siblings, cousins, nieces and nephews, most of whom live in the tri-state area.

Peter Christian Fry

Peter Christian Fry was 36 years old and had two children when he went to work at Euro Brokers Incorporated, the global securities firm of which he was Vice President of Institutional Money Markets at 2 World Trade Center.

Peter was an avid athlete, having played lacrosse in both college (he was an All American lacrosse player at Curry College in Massachusetts) and in the Fairfield County Lacrosse League.

Sadly, I haven’t been able to find too much on Peter.  I know that he went to Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church, the largest one in our town with a lovely community that I am sure took care of his wife and family after his death.  His extended family still lives in the New York / Connecticut area.  And I did find this lovely note, one of many on 9-11 Victim Memorials, from a cousin of his:

I would like to tell you something that happened to me in while at Bagram AB, Afghanistan. I came across an American Flag in a case that had names written on it. One name popped out to me and it was Peter’s name and I realized it was a Flag with all the 911 victims on it. I have deployed many times to Iraq and Afghanistan and I always go to the flag and look for Peter’s name and remember why I’m there.
A Salute to you Peter and your Family.
Don DeBord TSgt. USAF

The family set up a college fund for Peter’s two daughters. Donations can be sent to Fry CollegeBoundFund, Attn: Joseph Miller III, c/o The New Canaan Group, 100 First Stamford Place  4th Floor West, Stamford, CT 06902.

John Iskyan

John Iskyan, 41, had been working at One World Trade Center for 19 years, straight out of college, and evidently he hated the building.  Back in 1993, he had taken over an hour and a half to vacate the building from its bombing, helping others escape before he finally left.  But he loved the company, Cantor Fitzgerald, for which he had worked his way up to being a partner.  And so he rose at 5am on September 11th, 2001, and took the early commuter train from Wilton so as to be at his desk by 7am, as he had done for 19 years.

Later that afternoon, John died of smoke inhalation.

Somehow he did made it out of the building, so his family was one of few to have a full funeral ceremony for him at Our Lady of  Fatima Church.  They were able to sing to him, to shower his body with love and tears and sweet memories.

John was an avid athlete, enjoying lacrosse and football and skiing.  His brother joked that John was such a loyal Giants fan that he’d let his brother buy him tickets every year.  He was still much in love with his wife, Margaret, so much so that he threw her a surprise birthday party the week before at the Old Town Hall, complete with family, friends, a lot of food and music.  His two children, Peter, 12 and Carolynn, 9, had kept the secret the entire year he planned.

John was known for being a hard worker, easily pulling 12 hour days for his firm. A Long Island native, he grew up with the kind of suburban, playful childhood that he provided for his own children.

Unfortunately I could not find a picture of Edward York, 45.  In a time where the internet runs wild with images and remembrances, it comes as a bit of a shock.  But also a bit of a relief – what is personal to the people who knew him remains personal to them.  He was their friend, their family, their father and husband, and it is their wishes that should be honored in remembering Ed. 

But what I did find was this:

“Ed hosted new employee orientation sessions that featured a dozen or so presenters to groups of about 30 associates and his introductions stopped just short of claiming each presenter could walk on water. Before one such session I asked Ed if he could “tone it down” a little and he promised he would. When my turn to speak came later in the day, Ed simply said “Our next speaker is a man who needs no introduction.” Sheepishly I walked to the podium, but when I arrived the entire group rose, wildly cheering, whistling and applauding. In the back of the room was a broadly smiling Ed, who had put them up to the whole thing beforehand! It was the best practical joke anyone had ever played on me and typical of his sense of humor.”

Greg Pierce, Sandy Hook, Connecticut
Stories and admiration like this abound for Ed, things like “he always brought a smile to everyone’s face” and ‘he had an unconventional way of bringing people together” and “his family was the center of this universe”.
From what I can gather, Ed worked for many years at several firms including MA Hanna and Daymond and Associates before moving on to Cantor Fitzgerald, where he was the Vice President and director of Human Resources.
He is survived by his wife, Kim, and three children. 
And, in closing, here’s a sweet little contribution to Ed’s page and a good reminder to us all.  It’s been an interesting week, writing testimonials for people I’ve never met, making cupcakes for firemen and reflecting on how many millions of people were affected by the actions of a single day.  And I agree with this woman’s testimony:
I never met Ed, but I worked a block away from the WTC, and after 9/11, found his business card outside my office. I framed it with other cards I found there, and after research, found that he had died. His card remains framed, on my desk, as a daily reminder of how precious life is, and that we have to keep our priorities straight. I hope your family has found peace.
Ellen Sundheimer, Middle Island, New York

This tribute was written as part of Project 2996.  I picked the first six names on the list who had not been written yet, and am posting one every day in the week leading up to September 11th, 2011.  To read my initial post on this organization and to donate to The Feel Good Foundation, an advocacy group for first responders affected by serving on September 11th, please CLICK HERE.

A September 11th Tribute to Abdu Malahi

Abdu Malahi, Age 37

 “Abdu saved my life. Because we were told not to evacuate the hotel by management via the intercom system (before the intercom system was destroyed by the second plane crash), Abdu took it upon himself to alert the remaining guests that they must leave. I was waiting in my room when I heard him shouting in the hallway. I opened the door, and he told me I must leave immediately. He escorted me to the stairways before continuing on to save other guests. He is constantly in my thoughts. He is my guardian angel. I love this man whom I only met once. It is still hard for me to comprehend his sacrifice for strangers. Abdu was a very special man, indeed.

–Donn Monroe

We so often hear about the heroes in uniform that were running up stairs to help victims flee while others ran down.  And they, of course, are incredibly worthy of our love and respect.  But we forget, sometimes, those good, good people who helped others as well until their final breaths.

Abdu Malahi was one such man.

Raised in Yemen, Abdu loved music and played keys in a band before becoming the audi0-visual engineer at the Marriott Hotel.

He was known among colleagues as being incredibly polite, and only opening up with his wife and two sons, who he was trying to get visas for so that they could join him from Yemen before the September 11th attacks.  But his formality also garnered him a great deal of respect and he was well liked amongst coworkers and friends.

When the towers were struck, Abdu risked his own life to help save the lives of others.  There is little about this incredibly generous man on the internet, but I am sure that he lives on in the hearts of his family and the many people whose lives he saved by giving up his own.

This tribute was written as part of Project 2996.  I picked the first six names on the list who had not been written yet, and am posting one every day in the week leading up to September 11th, 2011.  To read my initial post on this organization and to donate to The Feel Good Foundation, an advocacy group for first responders affected by serving on September 11th, please CLICK HERE.

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A September 11th Tribute to Abdoulaye Kone

Abdoulaye Kone, Age 37

Abdoulaye Kone was from the Ivory Coast and a father of two who lived in the Bronx.

He went to culinary school in France before immigrating to the U.S., and there he practiced his French along with his native Mandingo.  He also spoke English, German, Spanish and a little Italian.

Pastry was Abdoulaye’s passion, and that’s why he was in the World Trade Center towers when they collapsed on September 11th.  A skilled pastry chef, he worked at Windows of the World, and perished along with many of his coworkers.

His wife Celestine said that pastry was indeed a passion – he collected his recipes with photographs in large binders.   Incredibly intelligent and well-educated, he had worked his way up to Windows of the World after starting work in the states at a 5 and Dime store.  He had ambitions to open his own business.

On rare days off Kone would spend time with his two children, whom he liked to say he “worked for”.  This family man proudly lived to provide for his family.

Unfortunately not much is to be found on Abdoulaye Kone on the web, but I’m positive he lives on in the hearts of his wife, children, family and dear friends.

This tribute was written as part of Project 2996.  I picked the first six names on the list who had not been written yet, and am posting one every day in the week leading up to September 11th, 2011.  To read my initial post on this organization and to donate to The Feel Good Foundation, an advocacy group for first responders affected by serving on September 11th, please CLICK HERE.

A September 11th Tribute to Aaron Jacobs

Aaron Jacobs, Age 27

On July 26th of this year I turned 30 years old.  While I embraced my coming decade with confidence and peace, I had occasional tremors of fear – the passing of time, goals left unaccomplished, a heart trying to make her way in the world.

On that day, as well, this plaque officially adorned a bench in Central Park for the first time, near Strawberry Fields on the west side, shadowed by elm trees:

Aaron Jacobs was a vivacious 27 year old, a Vice President on the international trading desk of Cantor Fitzgerald, the firm that lost all of the 658 employees that were in the building that day (including Aaron Horowitz, of who I wrote a tribute to yesterday).  Aaron was on one of Cantor Fitzgerald’s floors on the upper levels of One World Trade Center, above where the tower was struck.

A Boston native, his parents had met and married in New York City, and were not surprised that Aaron moved back to New York to find his own way.

While he worked in his incredibly lucrative position, he also was incredibly generous, often volunteering to teach work skills to people on welfare.  Containing an incredibly capacity for joy, he had bacpacked through Europe, taught English in Cozumel, studied abroad in Madrid, climbed a volcano in Greece, and was contemplating Africa for his upcoming honeymoon with fiance Jeannine McAteer.

In one particularly memorable tale, he soothed a seething coworker, who was ranting in a dramatically powerful fashion, by getting down on one knee and singing “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin'”.  It cracked everyone up, breaking the tension in the room.  That was how he often dealt with pain and anger – by evoking laughter.

Aaron was also in love with the city he called home.  He sought out a wide range of ethnic restaurants, frequented museums and ran regularly through Central Park.  His brother described him as “a secretly silly and tender Wall Streeter”.

Aaron’s fiance remains close with his family, and his parents are comforted having a memorial to visit when they come to NYC – a place where people can sit and rest, read, take in the city and remember the man who loved it so much.

This tribute was written as part of Project 2996.  I picked the first six names on the list who had not been written yet, and am posting one every day in the week leading up to September 11th, 2011.  To read my initial post on this organization and to donate to The Feel Good Foundation, an advocacy group for first responders affected by serving on September 11th, please CLICK HERE.

A September 11th Tribute to Aaron Horowitz

Aaron Horowitz, Age 24

Aaron Horowitz, from what I can gauge from the words said of him from friends and family members, was exactly the kind of person I want in my life more.

An infectiously happy, funny person, Aaron was an institutional bond broker for Cantor Fitzgerald, the company that occupied several of the top floors of One World Trade Center.  On the morning of September 11, 2001, 658 employees of Cantor Fitzgerald (about a third of its global work force) were on the 101st-105th floors, several floors above where the hijacked plane made the initial impact.  Aaron was on the 104th.  He perished along with the entirety of his company, the greatest single loss to a company on that day.

Aaron loved that job, and it suited him well.  He was responsible for entertaining clients, making them feel like the most important, respected, worthy people in the world.  This job was laughably suited for him: he was known to charm waitresses at four star restaurants into arranging a last-minute table for eight, cheering up a sobbing concierge after a bad break up and calling her hours later to make sure she was feeling better, and initiating a hula-hooping contest with a stranger in a toy store.  Or, my favorite, drawing his own masterpiece in the chill of a window right next to a Rembrandt.  He made small moments big, dull moment creative.  He “seized souls”.

A former college adviser said, “I always knew Aaron would thrive in a career in which success was built on one’s trustworthiness, likability and good communication. He had a zest for life that provides me with some comfort. Aaron truly enjoyed his time here, and made the most of every minute and opportunity.”

Aaron’s friends and family celebrated that zest for life, that love and happiness he resonated and his ability to make friends with anyone.  But they obviously mourned the brevity of his life, a life that was seemingly coming together perfectly.  This respectful, friendly, warmhearted man had a beautiful future in front of him.

This year Aaron would have been 34.  It’s heartbreaking to think about how many more lives he could have touched, the family he could have started, the work he could have accomplished.  Reading about him across the web I’m sitting here, tearing a bit for this man I never knew.  This happy, infectious, energetic, respectful, hardworking man.

His college roommate relayed this at his memorial service:

“It’s funny how God seems to take people when they are on top of their game and on top of the world, because that’s exactly where Aaron was. He truly lived an amazing life for a 24-year-old. He accomplished more in his time than most people do in a lifetime.”

And please see the comments below for a reflection from Jon, someone who knew Aaron since they were 17.  I am so thankful he shared.

 

This tribute was written as part of Project 2996.  I picked the first six names on the list who had not been written yet, and am posting one every day in the week leading up to September 11th, 2011.  To read my initial post on this organization and to donate to The Feel Good Foundation, an advocacy group for first responders affected by serving on September 11th, please CLICK HERE.

For more information on Aaron Horowitz:

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A September 11th Tribute to A. Todd Rancke

A. Todd Rancke, Dec. 23rd 1959 - Sept. 11 2001

To read friends and family members describe Todd Rancke, it’s no surprise that it was joked he would be the future mayor of his hometown of Summit, New Jersey.  The father of three was on the 104th floor of the second tower on September 11th, 2001.  He had called his wife at 8:45am upon getting to his office at Sandler O’Neill and Partners, as he did daily, to wish her and his children a good day when the first tower was struck.  That phone call was the last they heard of him.

While he apparently had plenty of time to make it to safety, those close to him speculate that he stayed behind to help others – that was just the kind of person he was.  He was so well loved in his town, seemingly knowing almost everyone and attending the same church weekly he had since childhood.

Todd met his future wife Debbie when he was attending Duke University and she a nearby Carolina college.  A brother of Phi Delta Theta, Todd was intelligent, warm and full of life.  They got married years later in the chapel at Duke, were huge supporters of Duke basketball, and were part of a community there that miss him very much.

Todd’s love and devotion to his family, his excitement for life, his strong family values and his belief in the good in people permeate through memorials and articles that followed after his death.  Many friends remark how jovial he was, always able to make someone laugh at themselves in the most friendly of ways.  He raised his children to work hard and embrace athletics.  He was the all-American boy.

After the towers collapsed and Todd was missing, family and friends searched the island for him, going to makeshift morgues and hospitals.  But as the hours and days stretched on, they knew they had lost him.  This warm, loving man touched so many, and I’m sure the goodness and peace he brought to others will be remembered in his wife, his children, and those who love him.

This tribute was written for a collection of tributes on Project 2996.  To read my initial post on this organization and to donate to The Feel Good Foundation, an advocacy group for first responders affected by serving on September 11th, please CLICK HERE.

Several articles and online memorial links are below, and if you’d like to contribute to the A. Todd Rancke Memorial Fund, you can do so by writing the  Hilltop Community Bank, P. O. Box 800, Summit, N.J., 07902-0800.

Remembering 9/11 with Tributes, Donations and Food.

View of Manhattan on September 11th, 2001

I am in love with my city.  I moved here in August of 2003.  On September 11th, 2001, I was in college in Connecticut, about 130 miles away.  I remember very clearly walking into the living room to see my stunned roommates staring at the television.  It didn’t take long for us to realize the significance of what was happening, or the fact that our world was changing drastically in that moment.  After some phone calls to our friends in the city, evacuating buildings and migrating on foot north, we drove to campus in quiet reflection and sat in the empty Catholic church, praying together.

My two roommates were and still are two of my dearest friends.  Because we each had severe childhood illnesses that progressed into chronic illnesses as adults, none of us were allowed to give blood.  So we volunteered at the Red Cross, organizing names of those from Connecticut who were reported missing.  Our state lost hundreds on that day, four from my hometown.  One of whose name I reported missing, to hear it read weeks later in memorandum.

Eight years after moving here, I am in love with New York City even more so than I was growing up outside of it and looking in, dazzled.  I love it more than I did those first few years when everything was bright and new and exciting.  The neighborhoods here all have personal meaning and memory.  Stores, cafes, museums, parks, street corners – I have a personal relationship with so many of them.  After having moved away for a year for work, I came back last year even that much more in love with the city I call home.

So when it worked out that my contribution to Frosting for the Cause fell on September 11th, I started musing on this anniversary early on.  Frosting for the Cause is a website where a blogger from the U.S. or Canada daily tells the story of someone, usually a woman, who was affected by cancer.  They make a recipe and bring the physical goods to a local cancer charity, and then make a monetary donation to the Canadian or American Cancer Society.

Paula, the organizer of the site, was generous in allowing me to give my post a little twist.

Ground Zero

This coming Sunday, September 11th,  I’ll be posting my tribute primarily honoring the first responders have suffered from cancers they developed after spending time in the toxic dust cloud of lower Manhattan following the tragedy.  343 Firemen and paramedics and 23 NYPD officers died that day.  But in the past ten years 45 police officers have died of 9/11 related cancers, as well as many firemen.  Hundreds are facing cancer now, at young ages.  First responders who spent time at Ground Zero were 19% more likely to develop cancers in the 7 years post 9/11 than their underexposed colleagues.  And for the most part, their health care is not covered by the government.

Enter the organization to which I will be making my monetary contribution, The FealGood Foundation.

John Feal was a construction demolition expert who was called to Ground Zero with his team to help make order out of the chaos.  On day 5 of the cleanup, 8,000 pounds of twisted steel collapsed and fell on his foot.  After 10 months of a partial amputation, therapy and the chaos that was battling insurance companies, medical facilities and politicians, John started the FealGood Foundation, an advocacy group for first responders.

From their website:

The primary mission of the FealGood Foundation, a non-profit organization, is to spread awareness and educate the public about the catastrophic health effects on 9/11 first responders, as well as to provide assistance to relieve these great heroes of the financial burdens placed on them over the last [ten] years.

A secondary goal of the Foundation is to create a network of advocacy on 9/11 healthcare issues. We not only advocate for Ground Zero workers, but show others how they can advocate for themselves and help others through grassroots activism.

I met John several months ago when helping a friend interview him for an SBS Dateline piece on what Osama bin Laden’s death meant to New Yorkers and the victims of September 11th.  I was impressed that, after his accident, this tough-looking guy from Long Island brought himself back to health by nourishing and strengthening his body naturally and without the assistance of painkillers (many first responders injured now also have problems with long-term pain medication).  And then turned his life over to advocate for the health of others.

I am proud to make my monetary donation, as small as it is, to this organization.

I’ll then be bringing my food donation (Big Apple Cupcakes with NY Cheesecake Frosting) to a firehouse near Ground Zero that John got me in contact with.

Upon telling a few friends of this blogging adventure, they immediately responded that they’d like to donate as well, and suggested I breach this topic before my post next Sunday.

To donation to the FealGood Foundation,

CLICK HERE.

An unrelated website got passed to me from my friend Elle at Bromography.  The blog Project 2996 was looking for bloggers to write online tributes to those who died in NYC, Pennsylvania and Washington DC because of the attacks.  So every day this week leading up to Sunday I’ll be posting a small tribute to one of the too many names on their list.

I am so fortunate that I did not lose any friends on September 11th.  And like many New Yorkers (and Americans in general), I’m appalled at how the events that occurred on that day affected our political system and our engagement in war. 

So my reflection this week will mostly be in thanks.  Thanks for the city that is still standing strongly and for the people who live here – the glorious New Yorkers that infuriate and inspire.  Thanks for the city that has given me hundreds upon hundreds of breathlessly beautiful moments, whether I’m walking my dog up by the Cloisters, on the back of a friend’s bike as he peddles me through a downpour in Brooklyn, linked arm and arm with friends on warm Manhattan nights, trampling through the falling snow on the way home from a film in the village, or meandering through the Union Square Market and its bounty of deliciousness.  New York is part of my being. 

Thanks, New York.  I love ya.

Taken in October, 2006.

Easy Cobbler Bread Pudding – Gluten, Dairy and White-Sugar Free!

 

Easy Cobbler Bread Pudding

Life is delicious.  As a gluten-freer, I sometimes miss bread-heavy meals and spongy caked desserts.  I equally miss Belgian waffle breakfasts and stuffed French toast.

So last night when I got home from listening to some stellar bluegrass (high-fives to the Six Deadly Venoms) I decided to make myself the best of both for breakfast: bread pudding.  Gluten-free.  Dairy-free.  Easy to throw together.  With no white sugar (I rarely consume it). And celebrating end-of-the-summer fruits.  A toss between cobbler, baked pancakes (I’m obsessed) and bread pudding.

Success, people, success.

This recipe is an insane journey of color, texture and flavor.  I used ripe blueberries and summer peaches along with dried apricots to give the fruit some va-va-voom.  The gluten-free bread base was soaked overnight in eggs, almond milk, vanilla, cinnamon, lemon extract, hazelnut extract and just enough honey and maple syrup to sweeten the load slightly. And topped with slivered almonds, the texture was smooth with a tiny crunch.

The next day I quickly boiled some fruit, threw it together and baked it for 45 minutes.

You  can alter the recipe by doing what I did – playing with what you have in your pantry and adjusting to your allergy needs.  Omit the nuts completely if you want!  Add some fresh lemon zest (though I highly recommend having lemon oil on hand for recipes like this – it’s the Italian and Portuguese baker in me).  Play with extracts and spices to your heart’s content.  As long as you have the same basic proportions, you’ve got this delectable fruity, bready piece of heaven in the bag.

If you’ve got problems with sugar, though, I will confess that I’m a bit shaky as I’m typing this, having eaten my serving.  But I also just drank an entire pot of green tea.  So it’s anyone’s guess.

As a hearty breakfast this recipe will serve four.  But top it with your choice of ice cream after a long meal and it’ll satiate six.

If you’re going to put it into wine glasses like I did, make sure it’s cool, people.  Live and learn, right?

Chock full o fruity, bready, nutty goodness.

Ingredients:

  • Six slices of gluten-free bread at room temperature.
  • 4 large eggs.
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk.
  • Honey, maple syrup or both to make 1/4 cup.
  • 1 tsp cinnamon.
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract.
  • 1/4 tsp lemon extract.
  • 1/4 tsp hazelnut extract (or almond).
  • 1/4 cup chopped nuts (I used slivered almonds).
  • 3 small peaches or plums.
  • 1 pint blueberries.
  • 1/4 cup chopped dried fruit (I used apricots).
  • 1 tsp fresh, chopped mint.

Directions:

  • Place bread in a square Pyrex pan, 8″ or 9″, overlapping bread as best as possible.
  • In a small bowl, beat all the ingredients from the eggs to the extracts, in that order, whisking continually.
  • Pour over the bread and flip bread so that all is soaked in egg mixture.
  • Leave overnight to absorb.
  • When ready to assemble and bake, preheat oven to 350°.
  • Rinse, peel, pit and dice the fruit.  Place in a small pot over medium heat and heat until the blueberries burst and the fruits soften.
  • Stir in the dried fruit and mint, and pour over bread mixture.
  • Bake for 45 minutes until the bread rises and the fruit starts to bubble.

Warm and bubbly and gorgeous.

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Foodbuzz 24×24: A Scarborough Fair Summer Supper Party

Scarborough Fair Supper Party

Life is so delicious.  Last night, August 27th, I joined 23 other bloggers from around the world in hosting dinner parties with varying, festive themes as a part of FoodBuzz’s 24×24 dinner party.

I had crafted a dreamy, end-of-summer supper party proposal for this monthly internet party, thinking we’d be poolside at my childhood home in Connecticut.  I had envisioned bubbly, fruity cocktails, sunblock, French music and pulling herbs and vegetables fresh from the garden for cooking.  We would feast as the sun went down in bathing suits and sweaters, candles and lightening bugs lulling us into full contentment.  Each course on the menu would highlight the unique fragrance and taste of an herb that was found primarily from my father’s garden and my window boxes – rosemary, parsley, basil, chives, spearmint, chocolate mint, sage and lavender.  My guest list was assembling, I was menu-planning in my head and on paper, and things were shaping up perfectly in my little fantasy.

But reality trumped fantasy this weekend:  a hurricane walloped my perfect party plans.  The poolside fete turned morphed into an apartment party – getting to Connecticut was deemed almost impossible with Hurricane Irene running up the eastern seaboard.  Then our mayor shut down our entire transit system beginning at noon on Saturday – there went half of the guest list, who were coming from Brooklyn, Queens and various nooks in Manhattan up to my apartment near the Hudson far up on the west side.

What resulted, though, was still an incredibly fun evening.  6 locals within walking distance joined me on the rainy, humid night.  My roommate and I had spruced up the apartment, cleaning and decorating as festively as possible.  Because of the impending winds we had to move my herbs inside anyway – they made incredibly fitting center-pieces along with all those emergency candles.

We threw on some French music, lit the candles, settled in with mint juleps and champagne, and chatted away as the rain poured down.

My guests were lovely in their praises of the food and asked me to describe each course in detail – how things went together and the inspiration behind each.  Amongst the chaos that had been descending on the city in preparation for what was expected to be one hell of a storm, most of my friends over the city were huddled in their apartments with liquor and junk food.  We, on the other hand, celebrated the apocalypse with empanadas, prosciutto, roast beef, rosemary potatoes and homemade French macarons and ice cream.

Everything on the menu was homemade, planned to highlight some fabulous flavors.  And the entire menu was gluten and cow-dairy free.

And the hurricane?  Well, we didn’t lose power and the sidewalks up here are strewn with fallen leaves.  That’s just about it.

Because of the lack of light in the apartment due to the storm the pictures of the party are quiet uneven – most food shots being taken throughout the day as courses were prepped.  Recipes for what can be shared are linked to below the images.

The Menu

First Course

Melon, Basil, Proscuitto, Iberico cheese

Melon, Basil, Prosciutto, Iberico Cheese drizzled in lavender honey.

Herbs highlighted: basil and lavender

Empanadas

Gluten-free beef empanadas.

Herbs highlighted: chocolate mint

These were a huge hit. I had been dying for an empanada recipe after indulging in the gluten-full ones at my favorite restaurant recently, so these were an early thought on the menu.  Beef was sauteed in onions and garlic, then stewed down with cocoa, honey, cinnamon and hot pepper before golden raisins and olives were mixed in.  Finally the chocolate mint was blended and the mixture cooled before being filled into the flaky crust.  Click here for the recipe.

Parsley-Basil Macarons

French Macarons with Herb Filling

Herbs highlighted: parsley and basil

This was the most out-0f-the-box contribution to the evening.  I had FINALLY made macarons to perfection – it only took me five tries, interviewing macaron cookbook author Jill Colonna and taking a class at Dessert Truck Works to figure them out.

So I wanted to incorporate a savory macaron into the meal as well as using them in dessert.  Luckily Jill, in her book Mad About Macarons, had an incredibly easy filling that was basically parsley and basil blended with oil.  So I threw a non-descript amount of both in my food processor along with some bergamont-flavored olive oil, pink Himalayan sea salt and fresh lemon juice.

The result?  One guest actually said that this was her favorite of the three appetizers – the sweetness of the macaron and its gentle crunch crumbled perfectly underneath the herb mixture.  It was both salty, sweet and savory.

Unfortunately I don’t have a great picture of the final product because we were in hurricane mode lighting-wise by the time they were prepared.  But grab Jill’s book if you want the recipe and some amazing others.

Entree

Roast Beef, Rosemary Potatoes and Herbes de Provence Summer Squash

Roast Beef

Herbs highlighted: rosemary and chives

I don’t often make roast beef.  But I love using fresh rosemary on roasts, and as there was an abundance at my dad’s house this seemed only fitting.  I brought the meat to room temperature and then crusted it in olive oil, about 5 Tbsp fresh, finely chopped rosemary and 1 Tbsp of chives, as well as a little kosher salt and cracked pepper.  Then I placed it in an elevated roasting pan on top of a shallow bath of onions, garlic and lots of fresh rosemary.  Cooked to medium rare, it was quite delicious and only took an hour and a half to roast.

Rosemary Thyme Roasted Potatoes

Rosemary Thyme Roasted Baby Potatoes

Herbs highlighted: Um, rosemary and thyme?

I didn’t take a picture of the final product, again due to poor lighting.  But aren’t these tiny potatoes gorgeous!?! I love how easily they roast – they went into the oven doused in olive oil, kosher salt and fresh rosemary and thyme.  Without parboiling they were crispy and soft.  Perfection.

Summer Squash

Summer Squash with Herbes de Provence and Lavender Honey

Herbs highlighted: lavender, savory, fennel, thyme basil

Well, it wasn’t from my dad’s garden but this squash was local and deliciously sweet.  I doused it in a tiny bit of oil, a load of herbes de Provence (which in general I could never live without) and spoonfulls of lavender infused honey.  It went in the oven with the roast and potatoes, and in about thirty minutes was toasty and sweet.

Dessert

Hurrican Irene Erosion

Honeybun Ice Cream, French Macarons and Fruit Compote

Herbs highlighted: spearmint, lavender

What better way to end a summery supper party than with homemade ice cream and French Macarons with local summer fruit?  This dessert was gluten and dairy free, sweetened only with honey but oh-so satisfying.  Click here for the recipe.

The Party

Despite the rain, the threat that power-outages were coming, the lack of public transporation and the fact that we weren’t next to a pool celebrating the end of the summer, I was pretty darned pleased with my FoodBuzz Party.  No, it was not what I had planned.  But the food was still center-stage, and it was pretty damned good.  Possibly the best menu in entirety that I’ve ever made.  And I could think of no better way to spend the worst part of the storm than with some great people, some fabulous food and a festive atmosphere.  Hopefully I’ll get another shot down the road at hosting a Foodbuzz dinner party, but until then – thanks Foodbuzz.  And Irene.  And the glorious people in the pictures below for trekking out in the downpour to join me.

Place-settings

Menus decorating piano as we eat.

Friends

Amy - she also has gluten and dairy problems so this party was perfect for her!

Old-time buddy Jon - evidently he liked his dessert.

Meg - gorgeous with her dessert.

Gary enjoys spearmint. Just ignore Jon.

Empty, honey covered plate and chocolate mint.

The herbs were the focus still of the evening

Ambiance

My dog Mitra - hates rain, LOVES prosciutto

Bringing the outdoors in.

Gluten-free Chocolate Mint Beef Empanadas

Beef Empanadas with Chocolate Mint

My favorite NYC restaurant makes empanadas to die for – filled with beef, raisins and olives and encased with a flaky, crumbly crust.  Now and then I indulge, even though they’re packed with gluten, because they’re just so damned good!

So when putting together my menu for FoodBuzz’s 24×24 dinner party, I decided it was time to make these puppies gluten-free.

My proposal was a “Scarborough Fair Summer Supper Party”, where each dish would be created around an herb or bunch of herbs.  For the empanadas, chocolate mint was to be the herb.  Yes, this is an herb that I have growing in my window box that tastes both like chocolate and spearmint.  It’s divine in so many ways.  So I decided to go with a classic filling of beef, onions, garlic, raisins and olives but, to highlight the mint, also added cocoa, cinnamon and honey.

They had my guests drooling and my roommate so ready for more that after I post this I’m back into the kitchen to whip up another batch with the leftover meat.  The filling is both sweet and spicy, the crust flaky yet solid.

They’re completely gluten and dairy free, and full of flavor.

Ingredients: filling

  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1 cup diced white onion
  • 3 cloves of garlic minced
  • 1 – 1 1/4 lb ground beef – the higher quality the better, obviously!
  • 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
  • 2 Tbsp honey
  • 1/2 cup chopped green olives
  • 1/2 cup white raisins, soaked in warm water and drained
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 Tbsp chocolate mint

Directions: filling

  • Heat the oil on low in a heavy saute pan or stockpot.
  • Add the onions and garlic and cook on low until soft.
  • Add the red pepper, paprika, salt and cocoa and cook until incorporated.
  • Add beef and saute for about five minutes until just brown.
  • Add the water and cook until it boils down and the mixture is soft but not watery.
  • Add the olives, raisins and chocolate mint and stir to incorporate.
  • Remove to fridge and chill for up to 24 hours to let the flavors meld.

Ingredients: Dough

  • 2 cup brown rice flour
  • 1 cup quinoa flour
  • 1 cup tapioca starch or arrowroot
  • 2 tsp xanthan gum
  • 2 tsp kosher salt
  • 20 Tbsp Earth Balance Butter or unsalted butter, cubed
  • Up to one cup ice cold water

Directions: Dough

  • In a food processor, whip all flours, xanthan gum and salt together to combine.
  • Add the cubed Earth Balance and pulse to combine until the butter is wrapped in flour in little pea-sized clumps.
  • Slowly add the water, bit by bit, until the dough comes together into a ball but is not wet.

Assemblage:

  • Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
  • Line baking sheets with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray / wipe with oil.
  • Turn the dough out onto a floured board (I use rice flour when rolling pastry).  Work with one quarter of the dough at a time.  Roll to 1/8 inch thickness, constantly turning, flipping and re-flouring the board as necessary.  Cut into 4″ rounds.
  • Place dough on sheets and put about a tablespoon of filling in the center of each.  Wet the edges of dough and fold over and press to seal.  Crimp edges with a fork.  Repeat until you have about 30 beautiful little empanadas.
  • If desired, wash the top of the empanadas with an egg beaten with a little water to make them glossy and bright.
  • Bake for about 8 minutes, turning the sheets halfway through.
  • Cool slightly before serving.
  • Prepare to be wowed.

 

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